Padley Chapel - Grindleford at Padley, Grindleford, Derbyshire S30 1BB UK - A Brief History of the Chapel

The manor house at Upper Padley was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It is situated on the north bank of the River Derwent, within a mile of Grindleford Bridge. The original owners came from Normandy with William the Conqueror. Their family name was De Bernac. They were given the lands of Padley, Grindleford and Hathersage by William for services rendered. They settled in Upper Padley, where their descendants started to build. They eventually changed their name to Padley. When the sole heiress, Joan Padley married Robert Eyre of Highlow, there was already a fair sized manor house. Robert & Joan extended the buildings including the gatehouse. It was through the marriage of another heiress, Ann Eyre to Sir Thomas Fitzherbert, that the manor passed to the Fitzherbert family. Thomas was a staunch recusant and spent the years 1559 to 1591 in various prisons. He died in the Tower of London on 1st December 1591. Thomas had granted tenancy to his brother John, and so Padley Manor became a missionary haven for priests for almost thirty years. In 1588, Padley was raided by the Lord Lieutenant of Sheffield, the Earl of Shrewsbury. On the 12th July, two priests were found. They were Nicholas Garlick and Robert Ludlam. They were immediately sent to Derby Gaol. As a result of their trial, the two priests were found guilty of high treason and were sentenced to death. They were hung, drawn and quartered on St. Mary's Bridge, Derby. Modern Times The first public pilgrimage to Padley was arranged in 1898 by Father Philip Fletcher, Master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom. This tradition has continued ever since. In 1933, the original altar stone or mensa was located and was reconscecrated by the Bishop of Nottingham in 1934. In 1980, with the change of diocesan boundaries, Padley Chapel, which is situated in the Parish of St. Michael the Archangel Hathersage, was passed from Nottingham to Hallam. In the autumn of 1987, English Heritage assisted on the renovation of the Chapel roof and the treatment of the internal oak beams. Many thanks to Barbara M Smith of Bamford for the information gleaned from her booklet 'Padley Chapel'.

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